Health
Menopausal Women: The Surprising Heart Health Risk You Need to Know
The transition into menopause is a significant period in a woman’s life, often accompanied by a host of challenging symptoms. While the focus is frequently on issues like weight gain, hot flashes, and skin changes, there is a critical aspect of health that demands attention: heart health.
Recent research published in the journal Menopause highlights the increased cardiovascular risks faced by menopausal women, particularly those with poor scores on Life’s Essential 8 (LE8).
LE8 is a tool that evaluates both health behaviors and factors to improve cardiovascular health. Alarmingly, the study revealed that only 20% of women maintain “optimal” LE8 scores during menopause.
Samar R. El Khoudary, PhD, a professor of epidemiology at Pitt’s School of Public Health, emphasized the importance of this period for heart health.
“Previously we’ve shown that the menopause transition is a time of accelerating cardiovascular risk,” she noted. “This study underscores that it’s also an opportunity for women to take the reins on their heart health.”
The study analyzed data from 2,924 women aged around 46, tracking their health over time as part of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). The researchers utilized LE8 to assess cardiovascular health, comparing subclinical cardiovascular disease indicators and major events like heart attacks and strokes.
Findings indicated that higher LE8 scores correlated with better health outcomes. However, a mere 21% of participants achieved “ideal” LE8 scores, and low scores were linked to increased cardiovascular risks.
Four components of LE8 were identified as particularly critical in influencing future cardiovascular risks: blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep quality, and nicotine use. Among these, sleep quality emerged as a “potential predictor” of long-term health issues related to cardiovascular events.
Although sleep was not directly tied to short-term effects like carotid-artery thickening, its significance cannot be understated.
Previous studies have shown that insufficient sleep, defined as less than six hours per night, heightens cardiovascular disease risk. This is supported by a 2024 study, which found that premenopausal and early perimenopausal women who sleep less than seven hours and experience frequent awakenings are more prone to strokes and heart attacks.
Life’s Essential 8 recommends adults aim for seven to nine hours of sleep nightly. Poor sleep hygiene can elevate risks for depression, anxiety, dementia, heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
“With heart disease being the leading cause of death in women, these findings point to the need for lifestyle and medical interventions to improve heart health during and after menopause among midlife women,” concluded El Khoudary.
The transition through menopause is not just a time of physical change but also an opportunity to prioritize heart health, potentially reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular events.
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